Houston Alexander

At last nights Shark Fights 13 event, Houston Alexander took on Ramaeu Thierry Sokoudjou. I had all my money on Soko using his Judo and GnPing Alexander out. Well he decided to stand and bang with the heavy handed Alexander. To my dislike, but Soko landed a bunch of hard punches and had Houston badly hurt. To the point he was almost out on his feet. Rnd 1 ends with Houston on queer st. and I think for sure RTS has it in the bag. Houston starts the 2nd Rnd still on wobbley legs, and Soko stills stands and trades and ends up on the losing end of a brutal GnP stoppage which I thought went on a bit too long. Alexander's tenacity carried him throught the fight. Great comeback and best fight on the card IMO! Does this win(2 in a row) get him any closer to getting back to the UFC? Or does he need to rack up a few more wins? I lke the guy , every fight he is in is exciting win or lose!

AchillesHeel

9/12/10 10:26:21AM

I definitely think he needs more wins before the UFC looks seriously at him again. It seems like Strikeforce and Shark Fights don't require exclusive contracts, so he could fight someone like Mike Whitehead, Antwain Britt, or Kevin Randleman under either promotion. If it's on a Shark Fights card, the winner of that fight could be given a title shot at Prangley.

DCRage

9/12/10 10:36:02AM

Soko needs to go back to and stay in Japan. For whatever odd reason he seems to have virtually no success over here.

tcunningham

9/12/10 1:17:06PM

soko is just not impressive anymore. neither has alexander until lately. i dont see him ever being back in the ufc. he could have a decently successful career in strikeforce still.

ThaAxeMurderer7

9/12/10 4:29:53PM

I could definately see Houston back in the UFC with a win or two over a notable opponent. Someone mentioned Mike Whitehead and Antwain Britt as two good fights for him and I agree. I think he's marketable, fans like him, and he always seems to put on a good show besides the fight with Kimbo Slice.

lohmann

9/12/10 4:45:45PM

Posted by BustedKnuckle

I had all my money on Soko using his Judo and GnPing Alexander out. Well he decided to stand and bang with the heavy handed Alexander.

That is what he does every time he fights. Betting on Sokoudjou utilizing his judo against lesser grapplers is like putting money down on Gurgel to show off the jits he supposedly has.

I thought Sokoudjou would have put Alexander to sleep before the second round (when he goes from above average to mediocre). Didn't work out this time.

jae_1833

9/12/10 6:05:48PM

There are a lot of fighter's who have proven to be this way now....Sherk, Griffin, and BJ all think they are Strikers now, and guys like Kos and Hughes are nearly as confused. These are the topmost level guys and they have me so frustrated sometimes! Yelling at the tv for them to attempt the takedown, or to initiate the clinch, or anything other than put on a poor version of a K-1 match. As for Houston, I am not sure....he looked the same as he ever has, this time he was just able to hold on to conciousness. I didn't notice any real improvements to be honest. I think he should stay fighting at 205 though and not attempt the leap to HW, he should at least give Strikeforce a call too.

Caesarrrr

9/12/10 10:43:26PM

Posted by jae_1833

There are a lot of fighter's who have proven to be this way now....Sherk, Griffin, and BJ all think they are Strikers now, and guys like Kos and Hughes are nearly as confused. These are the topmost level guys and they have me so frustrated sometimes! Yelling at the tv for them to attempt the takedown, or to initiate the clinch, or anything other than put on a poor version of a K-1 match. As for Houston, I am not sure....he looked the same as he ever has, this time he was just able to hold on to conciousness. I didn't notice any real improvements to be honest. I think he should stay fighting at 205 though and not attempt the leap to HW, he should at least give Strikeforce a call too.

To be fair, I believe Kos is completely aware of where he stands. He talks a lot, but at the same time you have to look at his performances more so than his words. Did he not take Daley down? Did he not submit AJ? Did he not avoid the ground against Trigg and just ko him?

Against Thiago, I don't think anyone really expected that, and regardless, Thiago's BJJ is his strong point, so Kos was using a good gameplan.

lohmann

9/12/10 10:55:09PM

Posted by Caesarrrr

To be fair, I believe Kos is completely aware of where he stands. He talks a lot, but at the same time you have to look at his performances more so than his words. Did he not take Daley down? Did he not submit AJ? Did he not avoid the ground against Trigg and just ko him?

Against Thiago, I don't think anyone really expected that, and regardless, Thiago's BJJ is his strong point, so Kos was using a good gameplan.

I think most people point to how he neglected to train his wrestling going into a fight with Georges St. Pierre or was content to stand and bang against Thiago Alves.

It's really a mixed bag, but over time he's definitely grown in a way that shows he knows how to gameplan.

(And he is a competent striker.)

Jackelope

9/12/10 11:18:53PM

I like both Soko and Alexander but I think both have proven beyond a shadow of doubt at this point that they're not UFC level fighters. I honestly think Houston is one of the most likable personalities in all of MMA and truly one of the most genuine fighters, but yeah... I've got no faith in his skills.

jae_1833

9/13/10 2:00:11AM

Posted by Caesarrrr

To be fair, I believe Kos is completely aware of where he stands. He talks a lot, but at the same time you have to look at his performances more so than his words. Did he not take Daley down? Did he not submit AJ? Did he not avoid the ground against Trigg and just ko him?

Against Thiago, I don't think anyone really expected that, and regardless, Thiago's BJJ is his strong point, so Kos was using a good gameplan.

I'm not trying to argue one particular fight, or fighter for that manner....just the growing trend of people forgetting where they come from and what got them where they are in the first place. I for one totally expect Damian Maia (for example) to attempt to get 80%+ of his future fights on the ground so that he can submit his opponent. Not saying that what he did against Dan Miller was foolish or a result of poor planning and preparation (I do realize that he was trying to prove a point about his striking ability), but that it may have resulted in a quicker and more dominating victory against a fairly difficult and dangerous opponent.

kaduey

9/15/10 9:59:17AM

Posted by ThaAxeMurderer7

I could definately see Houston back in the UFC with a win or two over a notable opponent. Someone mentioned Mike Whitehead and Antwain Britt as two good fights for him and I agree. I think he's marketable, fans like him, and he always seems to put on a good show besides the fight with Kimbo Slice.

I guarantee you will never see Alexander in the UFC again! Especially after the Kimbo fight.